Buy’ce (Helmet)

Image 1: I started the helmet with a generic Mandalorian bucket I purchased from the same seller as my jetpack. I paid about $75 and then also picked up a rangefinder for another $17. Here it is after I’ve removed the excess plastic from the bottom.

Photo 2: Here it is after I’ve marked out the visor shape.

Photo 3: I decided to pick up Magic Sculpt for the modifications which was an excellent choice. One pound came in at $17, which was the same as a slightly bigger package of Bondo. I used Bondo for the jetpack, but it has an incredibly strong odor and dries so quickly that it’s difficult to mold. The MS is easy to mix and mold, has little odor, can be smoothed with a bit of water, dries firmly in about an hour and a half, and completely overnight. I used a Sharpie to mark out the visor prior to applying the MS.

Photo 4: Here it is with molding added to the forehead to create the center ridge, and I’ve started to carve out the visor. I didn’t want to cut out the entire part until I was finished with most of the shaping to add some stabilization. Bo Katan’s bucket has a much rounder shape to both the cheeks and the bottom, so I grabbed some 3mm Sintra and hand molded it.

Photo 5: The side view. I used Loctite’s Professional Liquid Super Glue to secure it in place until I start the side molding.

Photo 6: I put a small piece of Sintra in as a shim to keep it from collapsing in.

After hours of sanding, molding, cutting, molding, sanding, painting, sanding, and sanding some more, I was finally able to paint. I used Testor’s Paint mixed with airbrush thinner. The dark blue shades of the cheek indentations are done in Insignia Blue, although I think it is a bit too dark and may be lightening it a bit. The rest is done in Cadet Blue with a 3:1 ratio of that and the Insignia blue to minimize the brightness a bit. The white is also Testors Flat White, and the grey trim is done with Reaper’s Master Series Paint in Bone Shadow. It is the only portion that is hand-painted. The rest was airbrushed.

Just a note: Get a compressor! Trying to paint something this size using canned air will likely only result in your paint freezing up on you. I picked up a compressor on eBay that came with a simple airbrush for around $100. It works like a charm.

The weathering was done with a combination of a fine sanding block, purposefully uneven airbrushing, smudging while the paint was a bit tacky, and shading using a wash of the Bone Shadow liberally mixed with water. The buy’ce is actually quite smooth although it appears roughed-up.